The Newtown‑Edgmont Little League

Tryout coverage, spring 1953

A promising turnout for the new season

Field construction chairman Jim Gordon reported that wet weather had held up completion of the new grounds, though he and league president Dave Neff felt confident it would be ready within weeks. A second tryout session followed on April 25 — 8- and 9-year-olds from 9 to 10:30 a.m., 10- to 12-year-olds from 10:30 to noon.

Volunteers at work on the new grounds

Built by the townships themselves

Men of both Newtown and Edgemont Townships volunteered to rake stones, dig post holes, and build the outfield fence; local contractors donated equipment and labor for grading, dugout cement, and more. The field sat on a hill opposite the Troop Farm — a site the construction committee believed would rank among the finest Little League fields in the eastern United States.

Dedication announcement

Saturday, May 30 — 1:00 p.m.

The dedication opened with a flag-raising by the color guard of the Newtown Square VFW Post, followed by remarks from clergy and township supervisors, and a doubleheader — the first game at 1:30, the second at 3:30. All residents of both townships, and any others, were cordially invited.

June 6, 1953 dedication-day results

Dedication day, June 6, 1953

Behind Jack Kegal's pitching, the Yankees beat the Giants 13–0 to celebrate the field's dedication; O'Connor and Sibole each collected two hits. In the second game, Manager Fran Landrum of the Cubs and Manager Earl Robinson of the Cards agreed in advance to stop the game after ten innings regardless of score — the teams were tied 9–9 entering the frame, and the Cards scored twice in their half to the Cubs' one, winning 11–10.

July 23, 1953 edition

Regional play opens — a shot at Williamsport

The Newtown-Edgmont and Broomall Little Leagues opened regional play in quest of a berth in the Little World Series at Williamsport, Pa. Newtown-Edgmont's All-Stars, selected by managers Frank Landrum, Earl Robinson, Vincent Kerns, and Frank Hargy, opened at home against Ashland-Middletown: Ed Bailey Jr., Franklin Jenkins, Ray McMahon, Dale Tarr, Jimmy Gordon, Steve Collins, Dick Shonwald, Frank Cropper, Bobby Ziegler, Jack Kegal, Kevin O'Connor, and Owen Simmons, with alternates Bill Brown and Ken Williamson.

July 30, 1953 edition

A promising run ends in the second round

Jack Kegal beat Aston-Middletown, 6–3, on Monday night to keep the local nine's hopes alive. But the very next night, an early error opened the door for Darby to score five first-inning runs, and Newtown-Edgmont could not recover, falling 11–1 to end the season. "The baseball gods just weren't smiling on our heroes," the paper wrote, "but the pressure just kept building up."

Opening day coverage

An opening day to remember

The Rev. William Powel of St. Albans Episcopal Church gave the invocation; the Marple-Newtown High School Band and the color guard of VFW Post 4952 raised the colors, backed by the high school's marching drum majorettes. League president Jim Gordon introduced Edgmont Township Board president William Carney and Newtown Square police chief Albert Saffren, and Zeke Tar presented a check on behalf of the Women's Auxiliary to pay for new stands. Father Joseph T. Kane of St. Anastasia's gave the benediction before the doubleheader began. Fran Landrum's Cubs opened the season by beating the Yanks 11–3, led by Frank Jenkins' three hits in four at-bats and Glen Poinsett's clutch pitching. In the nightcap, Bob Bell's Giants topped the Cards 10–5 behind three-hit games from Frank Cropper and Frank Smith, with John Miller (3-for-3) keeping the Cards close. An estimated 500 fans called it the most memorable day in the league's history.

A separate clipping pasted nearby, headlined "NE Little League Opens With Two Thrillers," gives a different tally for the Cubs–Yanks opener — Cubs 7, Yanks 0, decided on a sixth-inning bunt single by Mike Smith and a base hit by Miller, with Seth Foster the losing pitcher. The scrapbook doesn't make clear whether this refers to a different game, a different level of play, or an early wire report later corrected — both figures are preserved here as printed.

Mid-season standings battle

An undefeated run, blemished only by a tie

The undefeated Cubs claimed first-half honors, though a 2–2 tie with the Giants took some shine off it. In the final week, the Cards beat the Yanks 11–7 in a slugfest: John Muller started for the Cards but was pulled in the third after the Yanks scored four runs, keyed by a three-run homer from Morgan Sibole, who added a double and a single for four RBI on the day. Manager Crawford called in Seth Foster from the bullpen, and Henry Conrad's single in the sixth plated the go-ahead run for the Cards. John Miller and Skip Kromboltz combined for four of the Cards' seven hits.

The farm league's first champions

From the cellar to the pennant

A year after finishing at the bottom, the Pirates clinched the farm-team championship by beating the Orioles, 10–2, with a five-run fifth inning breaking open a close game. Pitcher Dave Welsh allowed just two hits. The coaching staff of Joe Webb, Dave Welsh Sr., Jack Colsher, and Charles Alexander Sr. got credit for the turnaround, with standout play from Chuck Alexander, Bob Ewing, Frank Keenan, Bob Prestianne, and Lou Huss in the infield, and outfielders Alton Hopkins, Pete Neilson, Ed Jewett, Tom Colsher, and Joe Matters.

Opening round of the district playoffs

A rout in the divisional opener

Newtown-Edgmont's All-Stars blasted Llanerch's All-Stars 12–3 in the Monday-night opener of the divisional playoffs on the road to the Little League World Series. Frank Cropper had an easy time on the mound, scattering the scoring across a four-run third, a two-run fourth, and a six-run fifth, while Llanerch made six errors behind him. Cropper went 2-for-2 at the plate; Frank Jenkins was 2-for-3 with a key double; Morgan Sibole added a two-run double of his own in the big fifth inning.

The season's final game

Chester East ends the run, 7–0

Behind the pinpoint pitching of Charles Baker, Chester East blanked the locals 7–0, eliminating Newtown-Edgmont from the district playoffs. Baker allowed just four hits and only once did a Newtown runner reach third. Three unearned runs in the first, off starter Lee Speca, put the game out of reach early; Frank Jenkins relieved after a two-run homer and allowed just two hits the rest of the way. The paper noted the loss also closed out Little League careers (by age) for a long list of the league's stars: Frank Jenkins, Dale Tarr, Morgan Sibole, Owen Simmons, George Matters, John Smith, Bill Brown, Ray McMahon, Lee Speca, Herb Heym, Frank Cropper, Bill Frankland, Francis Fee (injured earlier in the season), Henry Conard, Guy Smith, Dick Spring, Butch Payne, Jerry McVeigh, and Bill Jewett — many of whom were moving up to the Babe Ruth League, coached by Jack Kegal, which was also completing a successful season.

Opening night, Bishop Hollow Road

A 350-strong crowd, and a rout to match

The season opened Monday evening at Bishop Hollow Road with all the trimmings: an invocation from Reverend Paul F. Kramp of Messiah Lutheran Church before an estimated crowd of 350, a kickoff speech and team introductions from league president George Matters, a flag-raising by the color guard of the Newtown Square VFW Post 4952, a benediction from Reverend Joseph T. Kane of St. Anastasia's, and the ceremonial first pitch thrown by league vice president Robert Dougherty. Then the Yanks put on a show: a four-run first inning was all the cushion Bill Frazier needed, as he whiffed ten Cubs and didn't issue a single walk, blanking them in every inning but the second. Sandy Sabater's drive over the right-field wall, with Dave Neff and Gary Buyser aboard, was the big blow. Charles Roberts managed the Yanks; Fran Landrum guided the Cubs.

The league's minor-league teams also opened that Saturday, May 12: the Phillies blanked the Orioles 3–0, the Pirates topped the Indians 14–5, and the Dodgers defeated the Braves 11–6.

Minor-league coverage

An eight-run third, and a Jim Milligan blast

Playing in the Newtown-Edgmont minor league, the Phillies captured the second of their three games against the Indians, 10–1. Eight runs crossed the plate in the third inning to build an 8–1 lead, and Jim Milligan gave the crowd its biggest thrill with a bases-empty home run in the sixth.

Early-June standings shakeup

A complete reshuffling of the standings

The Cards and Cubs each won two games in a single week, upending the table. The Cards clinched first place at 6–2; the Cubs climbed from the cellar to tie the Yanks for second at 4–4; the Giants took over the basement at 2–6. Larry Kress hit a bases-loaded home run — the first in local Little League history, by the paper's account — but the Giants were still toppled by the Cards, 7–4. The Cubs' fourth straight win came behind Johnny Gordon, who fanned twelve Giants and held them to two hits in an 8–4 win over the Yanks, and the Cards clinched the first-half crown outright with a 6–3 win over the Giants.

Minor league, Saturday June 9: Phils 8, Dodgers 6 · Braves 10, Indians 7 · Orioles 3, Pirates 2.

Closing week of the season

A jam-packed final box-score page

A two-hit shutout in the closing games of the season was the headline act, with pitchers Harris and Booth sharing the honors. The clearest box score on this heavily cropped clipping shows a Giants pitching pair (Harris and Booth) blanking the Tigers 7–0, and elsewhere on the same page a Yanks–Cubs game ended 4–2 in the Yanks' favor. A separate minor-league box score records a lopsided 20–2 Indians win over the Orioles. Several additional box scores are packed onto this one clipping — including Redlegs–Cards and a second Tigers game — but portions are cropped or too faint to transcribe with confidence, so they're preserved here as images only rather than guessed-at text.

The championship playoff

A four-run fourth settles the pennant

In the playoff between the league's first- and second-half winners, four big runs in the fourth inning let the Cards erase a 1–3 deficit and edge the Yanks, 5–4. Four walks and a Gary Buyser double had put the Yanks up 3–1, but a Cards error, a walk to Roche, hits by Pyle and Stuppy, and a two-run double by Skip Kromboltz turned the game. Stuppy went 3-for-3 on the day; Fran Roche was credited with the win, while Bill Frazier took his second mound loss of the year.

All-Star tournament play

A tournament win, then a tough loss

The Newtown-Edgmont All-Stars erased Aston-Middletown 10–5 in their tournament opener. Bill Frazier held a heavy-hitting Middletown lineup to seven hits after a shaky start — a Lindy home run and singles by Packer and Aherns had staked Aston to an early 3-run lead. Newtown answered with four runs of its own on hits by Aherns, Roche, and a bases-clearing double from Dave McVeigh, plus RBI singles from Don Tarr and Frazier himself. Aston briefly regained the lead in the third on a Packer homer, but John Gordon's liner over the right-field fence tied it back up and started a lead Newtown never relinquished; Frazier settled in to allow just one more hit the rest of the way. Don Tarr went 3-for-3; Dave McVeigh, 2-for-4; Larry Kress, 2-for-4; Fran Roche, 2-for-3; and John Gordon added a home run.

The good run ended two days later: a "very good Newtown team was beaten by a better Upper Darby team, 8–1," overpowered by the pitching of Hamilton. John Gordon had the locals' first hit in the fifth, and a bases-loading rally was snuffed out by a diving, inning-ending double play from Upper Darby's Kraus. Bob Ewing added a pinch-hit single in the final inning but was stranded. Kraus and Shepley both homered for Upper Darby. The following Monday, Upper Darby beat Media on the Newtown field, 5–1, with Shepley hitting two more home runs.

A thank-you to the volunteers

Building "the finest field in Delaware County"

A community editorial credited the league's success to its volunteers: James Gordon, George Matters, and Dave Neff, who built the field on Bishop Hollow Road with many helpers; Adrian Sabater, who made the league's signs; Otto Gunther, whose dedication to improving the field was called "an inspiration to all of us"; Warren von Uffel, who contributed the block work for the new clubhouse; and Vaughn Jackson, who had spent years developing the league since its inception, along with officers and directors who met monthly at the Messiah Lutheran Church Annex. The piece noted the field was believed to be "the finest Little League baseball field in Delaware County and one of the finest in the state," and thanked the local paper for delivering that year's season program, by hand, to every home in both townships.